3 days ago2 min read

La Peugeot 305 V6 Rallye

In 1977, Peugeot launched its small saloon for fathers, the 305. It is hard to imagine that in 1980 Peugeot wanted to use this model as a rally car knowing that the production version of the 305 had a 1.5L of 49hp!

It must be said that at the time Peugeot was already competing with the famous 504 which was 10 years old.

In 1982, something new in motorsport, the FIA (International Automobile Federation) created Group B, a category that made monsters of power derived from production vehicles race in rallies. The condition to be homologated in this group was to produce at least 200 copies in the year of the original vehicle.

The challenge was huge, how to create a car capable of outpacing the World Rally Championship icons, namely Lancia Beta, Audi Quatro, etc.

First, it was necessary to convert this front-wheel drive into rear-wheel drive and graft a 2.5-litre V6 with a 24-valve double overhead camshaft developing 250 horsepower located at the front, with a five-speed gearbox attached to the rear axle.

A full-scale model was made in Cerizay and presented in a superb white livery ("iridescent" they said), with blue and yellow stripes (a strange association!). It differentiated itself from the Peugeot prototype by adopting the facelift of the 1982 305.

In any case, Peugeot teams up with Heuliez to design the "limited series" of 200 copies. But unfortunately for this 305 Rallye, they will not be produced and therefore there will be no 305 in rallying and the unique copy of the Peugeot 305 Rallye is exhibited at the Musée de l'Aventure Peugeot (France).

History will not speak of it again, however in the events, this 305 Rallye will serve as a mule for the one that will become the queen of Rallies, the 205 Turbo 16 which will be a 4-wheel drive and will win the world titles drivers and constructors in the 1985 and 1986 Rally Championship.

For those who think that a Saloon cannot be World Rally Champion and this is perhaps one of the reasons that pushed Peugeot not to launch this 305 Rallye in competition, it must be remembered that it was followed by the arrival in rallying of the 405 T16, models that we were able to admire at the time at the finish at Lac Rose (Senegal) of the Paris-Dakar Rally.